Fifteen Shanghai Picks, and the Hour to See Each

The 15 best things to do in Shanghai, ranked by what actually repays the time. The Bund comes first because it is the city’s one unmissable street, then the old town and the French Concession, then the museums and the river. Each entry carries cost, time, booking rule, best hour and when to skip it.

Last verified: 29 October 2026 · Sources: Shanghai municipal government, China Railway 12306, China Daily government channel, The China Door editorial judgement

What are the 15 best things to do in Shanghai?

Ranked by what a two- or three-day visit should protect, not by review scores. The first five are the city itself, the next five reward a slower afternoon, and the last five are the evenings and day trips you add when there is time. Costs appear only where a source confirms them.

#	Thing to do	Cost (2026)	Time	Book ahead?
1	The Bund at 06:00	Free	1–2 hours	No
2	Yu Garden and old town	Check the official site	2 hours	Check current rules
3	French Concession walk	Free	2–3 hours	No
4	Shanghai Museum	Free at writing; reservation	2 hours	Yes
5	Pudong and Lujiazui	Free; towers charge	2 hours	Only for towers
6	Huangpu River cruise	Check the operator’s page	1 hour	Yes, on the day
7	Power Station of Art	Free at writing; confirm	2 hours	Check current rules
8	M50 art district	Free	1.5 hours	No
9	Zhujiajiao water town	Fares and boat tickets	Half a day	No
10	Xiaolongbao crawl	Low — pay per shop	2 hours	No
11	Rooftop bars	Varies; minimum spend	1–2 hours	Yes, for a table
12	Tianzifang and Xintiandi	Free to walk	1.5 hours	No
13	Jing’an Temple	Check the official site	45 minutes	No
14	Suzhou day trip	Train fare + gardens	A full day	Train seat, peak days
15	Hangzhou day trip	Train fare + sites	A full day	Train seat, peak days

Ranked 1–5: the city itself

Shanghai in the order that works: a riverfront at dawn, a garden and its lanes, a district built for walking, the national collection, then the skyline from the other bank. Spread them over two days, because each is half a day once you add the walk between them.

1. The Bund at 06:00

One kilometre of riverfront with the old banking houses on one side and Pudong across the water. At dawn you get it almost to yourself; at 20:00 it is a different place, lit and shoulder to shoulder.

Cost: free. Time: 1–2 hours on foot. Booking: none. Best hour: 06:00 for the promenade, 20:00 for the lights. Skip if: heavy rain — there is no shelter on the promenade.

2. Yu Garden and the old town

A Ming-dynasty garden of rockeries, pavilions and koi ponds, wrapped in the rebuilt bazaar streets of the old town. Walk the garden first, then eat in the lanes behind it; the shops are commercial, the garden is the reason.

Cost: check the official garden site for the ticket; the bazaar is free. Time: 2 hours. Booking: check current slot rules in peak season. Best hour: the first half hour. Skip if: you dislike crowds — this is the busiest corner of Shanghai.

3. French Concession walk

Plane trees, 1920s villas, small cafes and the best walking in the city, roughly between Wukang Road, Anfu Road and the lanes between them. There is no single sight: pick a loop and let yourself get lost.

Cost: free; budget for coffee. Time: 2–3 hours. Booking: none. Best hour: 08:00–11:00, before the cafes fill. Skip if: you want monuments rather than neighbourhoods.

4. Shanghai Museum

The national collection, strongest on bronzes, ceramics and calligraphy, and compact enough to see properly in two hours. It is free at the time of writing but reserved, and the reservation is what people forget.

Cost: free at the time of writing — confirm on the official page. Time: 2 hours. Booking: yes, in advance, with your passport. Best hour: the first slot. Skip if: you have one day only and the weather is good.

5. Pudong and Lujiazui

The skyline you have seen in photographs, best reached from the Bund by metro or on foot. The towers charge to go up; walking among them at ground level is free and oddly impressive. Go at dusk for both versions of the view.

Cost: free to walk; observation decks charge — check the tower’s own page. Time: 2 hours. Booking: only for the decks. Best hour: dusk. Skip if: visibility is poor — the view is the product.

Ranked 6–10: the second layer

These five reward a slower afternoon and need no booking except the cruise. The river and the art museums sit either side of the Huangpu, and the water town costs you half a day of travel. Xiaolongbao is not a sight but it is the best-value hour in the city.

6. Huangpu River cruise

A short boat ride between the two banks, which sounds like a cliche and works anyway: the only way to see both skylines at once. Evening departures are the popular ones, so buy on the day at the pier.

Cost: check the operator’s page for current fares. Time: 1 hour plus boarding. Booking: yes, on the day. Best hour: after dark. Skip if: you already have a rooftop booked — the view overlaps.

7. Power Station of Art

A converted power plant on the south bank, now the city’s contemporary art museum, with the chimney and turbine hall kept as the setting. Exhibitions rotate, so check what is on; free at the time of writing.

Cost: free at the time of writing — confirm on the official page. Time: 2 hours. Booking: check current rules. Best hour: weekday afternoon. Skip if: the current exhibition is not your subject.

8. M50 art district

A cluster of galleries in old textile workshops along Suzhou Creek, grittier and smaller than Beijing’s 798. It takes an hour and a half and rewards browsing; some galleries close on Mondays, so go on a weekday afternoon.

Cost: free to enter the district. Time: 1.5 hours. Booking: none. Best hour: 14:00–17:00. Skip if: you have already given your art time to the Power Station of Art.

9. Zhujiajiao water town

Canals, stone bridges and a Ming-era street an hour or so west of the centre, reachable by metro and bus. Genuinely pretty and genuinely busy at weekends, so go on a weekday and arrive early.

Cost: check metro fares and boat tickets on the official pages. Time: half a day including travel. Booking: none for entry. Best hour: before 10:00. Skip if: you have only two days — the trip eats half of one.

10. Xiaolongbao crawl

Soup dumplings are Shanghai’s contribution to breakfast, and the way to eat them is three shops in one morning rather than one famous restaurant. Order the classic pork, let them cool, and watch how locals bite the top.

Cost: low — pay per basket, cash or app. Time: 2 hours. Booking: none; queues move fast. Best hour: 07:30–09:30. Skip if: you need a seated, quiet breakfast.

Ranked 11–15: evenings and day trips

The last five fill the hours around the anchors: two districts built for walking after dark, a working temple in the middle of the shopping belt, and the two day trips that make Shanghai a base rather than a stop. Both are high-speed train rides and both deserve an early start.

11. Rooftop bars

The view from the Bund is free; the view from above it costs a drink. The best-known terraces sit on the Bund and in Lujiazui, facing each other across the water, and a table near the edge is worth booking.

Cost: varies by venue; expect a minimum spend (editorial). Time: 1–2 hours. Booking: yes, for a table with a view. Best hour: sunset. Skip if: you want an early night with children.

12. Tianzifang and Xintiandi

Two versions of the same idea: lanes of shops, cafes and galleries. Tianzifang is the maze of converted shikumen houses; Xintiandi is the polished, rebuilt version. Both are free to walk and best in the evening, when the lighting does the work.

Cost: free to walk. Time: 1.5 hours. Booking: none. Best hour: 17:00–20:00. Skip if: shopping is not your reason for travelling.

13. Jing’an Temple

A working Buddhist temple surrounded by glass towers, which is the most Shanghai juxtaposition in the city. It takes 45 minutes and sits at the top of the Jing’an shopping strip, so it fits between two other stops.

Cost: check the official site for the current ticket. Time: 45 minutes. Booking: none expected. Best hour: 08:00–09:30. Skip if: you have already seen a temple elsewhere in China.

14. Suzhou day trip

Classical gardens and canals about half an hour away by high-speed train, and the obvious partner to Shanghai’s old town. Buy the train with your passport and pick two gardens, not five.

Cost: train fare plus garden tickets — check 12306 for current fares. Time: a full day. Booking: yes for the train on peak dates. Best hour: the first train out. Skip if: you have two days total in Shanghai.

15. Hangzhou day trip

West Lake, tea hills and a slower rhythm, about an hour by high-speed train from Hongqiao. It is the day trip most visitors rate highest and the one most often cut for time, so leave on the earliest train you can face.

Cost: train fare plus site tickets — check 12306. Time: a full day. Booking: yes for the train on public holidays. Best hour: the lake at opening. Skip if: heavy rain is forecast; the point of Hangzhou is outdoors.

Is the Bund better at 06:00 or 20:00?

Both, and they are not the same experience. At 06:00 you get the promenade, the river light and the city’s morning routine; at 20:00 you get floodlit facades and the Pudong skyline at full power, with several thousand other people. If you can do only one, do the morning.

Hour	What you get	Who it suits
06:00–08:00	Empty promenade, soft light, locals exercising	Photographers, early risers, jet-lagged arrivals
20:00–22:00	Floodlit facades, skyline, crowds	Anyone who wants the postcard image
Midday	Heat, haze, coach groups	Nobody, unless it is your only slot

The Bund is a morning street that everyone photographs at night: the promenade is at its best before the city is fully awake, and the skyline reads better from the opposite bank after dark. — The China Door editorial judgement, 29 October 2026.

Crossing between the two views takes about 30 minutes by metro or ferry. The sightseeing tunnel costs extra and adds a queue.

How should you shape two days in Shanghai?

Two days covers the first ten entries if you start early and do not cross the river for no reason. Day one stays on the Puxi side; day two is museums plus a neighbourhood, finishing on a rooftop.

• Day 1: Bund 06:00, Yu Garden at opening, lunch in the old town, French Concession afternoon, Pudong at dusk.
• Day 2: Shanghai Museum first slot, M50 or the Power Station of Art, Jing’an Temple, rooftop at sunset.
• Third day: Suzhou, Hangzhou, or Zhujiajiao if you want to stay closer.

The 7-day China itinerary gives Shanghai two of its days; the Shanghai destination guide covers where to stay and the Pudong Airport transfer.

Which Shanghai sights need a booking in 2026?

Book the Shanghai Museum and any observation deck, and book train seats for Suzhou or Hangzhou near a public holiday. Everything else on this list is walk-up. The museum is the one people turn up for and find full, because it is free and the reservation is not obvious.

Sight	Booking rule (verify before travel)	Document
Shanghai Museum	Free with reservation — confirm on the official page	Passport
Observation decks (Lujiazui)	Timed tickets sold online by each tower	Passport
Huangpu cruise	Bought at the pier on the day	Passport for boarding
Suzhou / Hangzhou trains	Book on 12306 with your passport; peak dates sell out	Passport
Yu Garden, Jing’an Temple	Check the official sites for current slots	Passport

Payments matter more than bookings on a short trip: foreign cards work in fewer places than in Beijing’s tourist core, and linking one to Alipay or WeChat Pay before you fly saves an hour on day one. The payments guide has the limits and fees.

What should you pack for two days in Shanghai?

Pack for walking and for rain at any time of year, plus a layer for air conditioning that is set cold. The city is humid from June to September and damp in winter, and the distances between the Bund, the concession and Pudong are longer than they look.

• Walking shoes — the promenade and the concession streets are both long walks.
• A compact umbrella — showers arrive without much warning (editorial).
• Passport — museum reservations, train tickets and check-in all read it.
• Power bank — payments, maps and metro all live on the phone.
• Payment apps linked before you fly — see the payments guide.
• One smart-casual outfit — rooftop bars enforce a dress code in practice (editorial).

Sort data before departure too: some apps behave differently on a Chinese network, and the internet and apps guide covers what to install and when.

FAQ

How many days do you need in Shanghai?

Two full days covers the Bund, the old town, the French Concession, one museum and Pudong. Three days adds a second museum or the water town. One day is enough only for the Bund and Pudong.

Is the Bund free, and when should you go?

The promenade is free and always open. Go at 06:00 for the empty riverfront and the morning light, or at 20:00 for the lit facades. Midday combines heat, haze and coach groups, and gives the worst version of the view.

Do you need to book the Shanghai Museum?

Yes, in practice: it is free but reserved, and walk-up entry is not reliable in peak season. Reserve online with the passport you will carry, and take the first slot of the day so the galleries are quiet.

Is a Suzhou or Hangzhou day trip worth it?

Yes if you have three days or more, and no if you have two. Both are about an hour each way by high-speed train, which turns them into a full day, and both are better with an early start.